At the close of every academic year, everyone of us once again faces the
decision what they want to do with the vast amount of free time ahead of us.
Work? Travel? Do nothing and celebrate it? In talks with friends, I’ve found it
interesting how most of them have chosen one of the first two options, few the
third one and none of them openly talks about pursuing interests in their
respective fields of study. Like reading a book they didn’t have the time to
read during the semester. Like realizing a project. Like working hard on
improving in fields they didn’t feel they’d mastered yet. I then realized that
I was looking forward to many easy-going days as well, during which I probably
wouldn’t think too much about university-related problems. I also was seduced
by the allure of doing nothing (besides working, that is).
When I realized this, I started wondering why that was. We all were
studying, assumably, to one day make the things we learn, or some of them, our
profession. When that time comes, we wouldn’t have free summers either and wouldn’t
think about it twice. Was it just a last enjoying of freedom before the drill
of working life finally kicked in? There were some points to be made for this
case and I still think it hits the nail pretty much on the head. But if that’s
the case, what does that mean in consequence? Does it mean that we don’t like
to work? That we fear the moment we officially enter the work force as the end
of our dreams and freedoms? And what does this say about us? Are we more
spoiled than the previous generation, simply lazy, or is ours a more acute
awareness of the importance of a fulfilled private life?
It all comes down to how you define and value the term “work ethos”.
